Author Archives: Adam Kō Shin Tebbe

Adam Kō Shin Tebbe (Kō Shin meaning Shining Heart) is editor at Sweeping Zen and is a blogger for Huffington Post's Religion section, writing mainly on topics of interest to Zen practitioners. Before starting the website in 2009, Adam trained to be a chemical dependency counselor. Adam is currently working on a documentary on Zen in North America (titled Zen in America) with a projected release date of 2017.

Hi everyone. I’m back on the road filming and am in Tulsa, Oklahoma staying with friends. I interviewed Ely Kugo DesJardins, an independent Zen practitioner who currently practices at home. This is an angle I definitely want represented in the film as many people find themselves in a similar situation, travelling to retreats. The interview went great but later I ... Read More »

Some of you who read my blog might recall some of my writings about having met someone special last year, or maybe my poorly articulated post (removed shortly after) regarding what my then therapist and I suspected was going on – namely, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). At the time of writing the piece, I was still very bitter and angry ... Read More »

Peter Matthiessen died on Saturday, April 5, 2014 at age 86 at his home in Sagaponack, New York. The award-winning author and Sōtō Zen roshi died earlier this month of acute leukemia, according to news reports. Matthiessen had been working on his final book, “In Paradise,” a novel based on experiences at three Bearing Witness retreats, the yearly meditation retreats at the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau offered by the Zen ... Read More »

In December, I authored a piece regarding the dharma transmission of Zenrin R. Lewis through Eido Shimano — the Rinzai Zen teacher who has been the subject of numerous ethical misconduct complaints. The central focus of the piece revolved around that thorny issue of ethics. At that time and in the months since, I’ve received some feedback suggesting the piece was not ... Read More »

Puget Sound Zen Center in Vashon, Washington, led by Gakudo Koshin Christopher Cain, Osho, has recently announced its disaffiliation with Rinzai-ji, Inc., citing a variety of concerns and reasons for the departure; among their concerns is Joshu Sasaki‘s continued leadership of Rinzai-ji. You can download a copy of their announcement and letter here from the Sasaki Archive. Here is the ... Read More »

We’ve received word that Tokudo Ji-on Susan Postal, teacher and founder of Empty Hand Zen Center in New Rochelle, NY, passed away at 11:45 pm on February 7, 2014. Born in 1940, she was 73. We do not have any more details regarding her death, though we do know she had been facing some health challenges lately and that she had ... Read More »

Recently I announced that we’d be redoing the glossary index here at Sweeping Zen and I moved it to separate directory. I’ve since moved the directory back to the main website and have a new idea for the index. I am inviting Zen teachers and academics to author entries for the glossary so that we can make them as accurate ... Read More »

Here are a few of the books coming out this month that readers might be interested in: Book on Zen Selfless Love: Beyond the Boundaries of Self and Other by Ellen Jikai Birx — Wisdom Publications (February 4, 2014) Selfless Love shows how meditation can help us realize that we don’t love—we are love. Gentle, elegant, and radically inspiring, Selfless Love presents a holistic, ... Read More »

We want to draw everyone’s attention today to four new books out this month by different Zen teachers. Each month we’ll be spotlighting different publications that should be of interest to our readership. New Books Out This Month Off the Path, The Zen of Mountains and Deserts (Western Legacy Series) by Sydney Musai Walter (January 1, 2014) The author says: ... Read More »

I usually try and keep Sweeping Zen out of the editorial business when it comes to matters that are political, but today I’m making an exception. Recently the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in their great wisdom, significantly undermined the future of a free and open internet. They decided to rule against the interest ... Read More »

When Google+ first came on the scene, many of us were unsure of whether the platform would truly take off. And, when you compare it to Facebook today, there really isn’t a comparison in terms of where the people are at. I, like many others in the publishing industry, failed to recognize the potential of the new platform for community ... Read More »

Over the years I’ve been sent a lot of review copies which I’ve just never gotten around to reviewing for the website due to time constraints with my work. I’d like to offer you an opportunity to get involved with reviewing books for us today, provided you meet some of our requirements: If the above applies to you, I’d like ... Read More »

On September 28 of this past year, Kosen Eshu Martin of Zenwest Buddhist Society (formerly the Victoria Zen Centre) was affirmed as an Osho (full priest) and Zenji (Zen teacher) at his home temple in the Rinzai Zen tradition by Kokan Genjo Marinello Osho of Chobo-ji in Seattle, Washington (who he continues his training with). Many were in attendance at ... Read More »

Kodo Kikigaki Sawaki (沢木 興道; June 16, 1880—December 21, 1965) roshi, born Tada Saikichi, was one of the best-known Japanese Soto Zen masters and scholars of the 20th Century. He traveled extensively throughout Japan practicing zazen with others, earning him the nickname “homeless Kodo.” Sawaki was an important teacher to both Taisen Deshimaru and Kobun Chino Otogawa, and also Kosho ... Read More »

About Sweeping Zen

Established in 2009 as a grassroots initiative, Sweeping Zen is a digital archive of information on Zen Buddhism. Featuring in-depth interviews, an extensive database of biographies, news, articles, podcasts, teacher blogs, events, directories and more, this site is dedicated to offering the public a range of views in the sphere of Zen Buddhist thought. We are also endeavoring to continue creating lineage charts for all Western Zen lines, doing our own small part in advancing historical documentation on this fabulous import of an ancient tradition. Come on in with a tea or coffee. You're always bound to find something new.

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